Method and device for applying hair extensions

ABSTRACT

An improved wefted hair extension method and device that is an improvement upon the standard weft with any grade, shade or texture of hair attached. Extending from the top of the weft are pairs of threads going exactly through the center of the weft. Each pair of threads has a round tipped guide in place of a needle and thread to navigate the thread through the braid. The time spent in application of the wefted hair to the person&#39;s natural hair is greatly reduced by use of precisely positioned and pre-threaded attachment threads that can be placed along the length of the wearers braid and quickly secured.

RELATED TO U.S. APPLICATION DATA

N/A

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to hair supplementation, andmore specifically relates to welted hair extensions and methods ofapplication.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Weaving Hair is manufactured and distributed in two forms: with andwithout a weft. Non welted hair is called “bulk hair” and is used forsuch methods as braiding and stranding. Wefted hair or “tracks” areextensions held together with a band of fine threads. The term “nativehair” is used to refer to the hair that is naturally growing from thescalp of the wearer. Supplemental hair refers to the weave or additionalhair that is being added to the hair of the wearer. When forming thebraided native hair (or base), supplemental hair may be added to thenative hair of the wearer.

There are currently four main methods by which wefted hair is applied.The two most common are by sew-in and glue-in (or bonding). The sew-inmethod entails braiding (or corn rowing) a person's natural hair andsewing the wefted extensions directly on top of the braid. The glue-in(or bonding method) uses an adhesive to glue the weft to a person'sscalp or on top of their hair. Recently, two more methods of applicationhave emerged. They are the flexi-strand and skin weft. The flexi-strandmethod (created by Carol Frazier) seeks to combine the two steps of thesew-in method while eliminating the need for needles, thread or abonding agent. The flexistrand has extensions extending from both sidesof the weft. The person's hair is parted as it would be to do atraditional cornrow and the extension is braided into the person's ownhair. The skin weft method uses a self adhesive to apply the weft to theperson's hair or scalp similar to the bonding method but essentiallywith double sided tape.

Each of these methods has its own flaws:

The sew-in method is time consuming and often can only be done by asalon professional. For this reason it is often costly. Every time youstart a new portion of a person's head or whenever you run out of thread(whichever is sooner) you must re-thread the needle. Also, this methodhas minimal security. If the knot securing the end of the thread comesloose or is damaged, the entire length of the weft is compromised, andmay unravel. In addition, to be properly applied the needle must goprecisely through the middle of the weft and the middle of the braid inthe natural hair below. This is very hard to accomplish and is almostimpossible to accomplish consistently throughout the entire weavingprocess. Also with a sew-in, the direction that the hair is sewn in isthe direction that the hair will fall/lay in. It allows for very littlerange of motion (i.e. brushing hair forward or putting up into aponytail). Also, the quality of the hair purchased and the weft of thehair determine the ease with which the hair can be applied. Generallyspeaking, the more expensive the hair, the thinner the weft (is thestandard correlation). Stylists and individuals applying extensions totheir hair via the sew-in method often spend a large portion of theirtime simply trying to get the needle through the weft of the hair. Thisis time consuming and often strenuous on the fingers and hands. Also ifyour hands are moist or oily it makes sewing in the weave almostimpossible. For this reason people often neglect oiling their scalpsbefore or during the weaving process.

The glue in or (bonding method) does not last as long as the sew-inmethod, and is completed using a rubberized adhesive substance. Youcannot apply any form of oil or a substantial amount of hair to theperson's hair or scalp once the weave has been applied. This is becausethe bonding agent will relinquish its hold of the hair upon theapplication of such agents. It breaks down easily with both oils andshampoos. Also removal is difficult often leaving a tacky film orresidue and many times damaging and pulling out the person's naturalhair. For this reason, this method is often avoided. However, thismethod is sometimes used because it is the more economical of the two.Also, because oils cannot be applied with this method, people oftenneglect and damage their natural hair and scalp.

The flexistrand method requires that multiple braids be applied. With atraditional sew-in there are an optimal number of braids, but to apply asew-in, as few as five rows of braids may be used. With this method itis hard or almost impossible to apply extensions to a small portion of aperson's hair. Also with the flexistrand, the quality and directions ofthese braids determines the quality and direction of the weaveapplication. That is why this method is not commonly used and oftenrequires a training session or instructional course. This method is onlyoffered in a limited number of salons and is costly.

The Skin Weft is not a secure method, and it carries the samedisadvantages as its predecessor, the glue-in or bonding method. Themain difference is that with the Skin Weft the adhesive has already beenapplied to the weft in advance, whereas, the glue-in method adds theglue to the weft at the time of application onto the hair.

Various wefted hair extensions are known in the art. Typical of suchdevices are the ones shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,320,327; 6,832,614, and6,446,636, which all use various methods for attaching wefted hairextensions. There remains a need for an improved and affordable weftedhair extension that allows the owner greatly reduce the amount of timeit takes to complete hair extensions while maintaining and improving thesecurity of the welted hair to the natural hair.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

The object of the present invention is to overcome the aforementioneddisadvantages of prior hair extensions and provide a wefted hairextension that is affordable, and easy to use. It is a further object ofthis invention to provide a wefted hair extension that is more securelyattachable to natural hair.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a weft wherein thethread has been placed precisely through the middle of the weft toeliminate insecurity, and the time-consuming and seemingly unattainabletask of consistently hand stitching through the weft.

It is also an object of this invention to eliminate the possible bulgingand bulking up of the weft that occurs when the weft is unevenly andincorrectly attached to the natural hair.

It is also an object of this invention to preclude the requirement ofpurchasing additional materials such as a needle, thread, or an adhesiveto attach the weft to the braided hair.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a wefted hairextension that can be attached more quickly than prior art wefted hairwithout compromising the security of the attachment.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a wefted hair methodthat is simple in its application, thereby eliminating the need fortechnical training or professional application.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention solves a number of the problems presented by theprior art methods of weft application. An additional benefit of thismethod is its simplicity. Since it does not require technical trainingor a professional, it can be done at home, thus reducing the cost ofweave application immensely.

One large advantage is that this process is quicker than the traditionalsew-in (today's most commonly used method). While the present inventionand method does require the person's hair to be braided in rows beforeapplication, the length, direction, and size of the braids does not playas large of a role as in the traditional sew-in method. And unlike theflexistrand method, the quality and direction of the braids are notdirectly correlated to the quality and direction of the weave.

As mentioned before, a large advantage is that this method is easier forthe individual to do themselves. The thread is already placed preciselyat the middle of the track and the rounded tip of the guide allows youto smoothly push through the wearer's braided natural hair. Also becauseoils will not interfere with the application process, a person can oiltheir hair and scalp before, during and after application. This aids inthe maintaining of healthy hair. Without the need to struggle withpushing the needle through the weft over and over again, a large amountof time is saved.

Another huge benefit of this method is that you do not have to thread aneedle. Threading the needle takes time and requires a great deal ofhand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. With this method you cansimply tie a knot or even glue the threads together.

Another benefit of this method is that it is more secure. Unlike atraditional sew-in, if one thread or sections of threads come loose theentire track is still secure. With the traditional method if a portionof the thread is damaged or perforated the entire length of that trackand any other tracks secured by that thread is compromised because thethread is only secured at the end of the track. Unlike the glue inmethod this method requires no chemicals. It is not damaging to the hairor scalp and is a lot less messy.

The prior art devices or methods have not alleviated the need forthreading the needle and sewing the thread through the weft. Also noother product had a pre threaded weft. Some prior art products currentlyavailable such as the flexistrand use no thread at all. Unlike the dullneedles used for a traditional sew-in, the hard end of the presentinvention is rounded in order to prevent damage to the scalp and hair.The traditional sew in cannot do this because the needle must be pushedthrough the track so the safety of the scalp and hair is compromised.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The device and method of the present invention enable a person toquickly and easily attach welted hair to their natural hair in a mannerthat is secure. The device of the present invention comprises a largenumber if individual strands of hair bound together to a weft that hasbeen pre-threaded with thread pairs connecting through the middle of theweft at predetermined distances. Each thread pair has a substantiallyrigid curved guide with a rounded tip attached to one thread of thethread pair. The rounded tip on the guide is used to enable the wearerto pass the thread through their braided native hair without risk ofinjury to their scalp or hair. Once the guide has been pulled throughthe braided native hair, it can be tied together with the second stringof the thread pair. After the thread pair has been tied into a knot, thethread above the knot can be cut off with a pair of scissors. Thisprocess is repeated for each thread pair along the weft until the wefthas been attached to the entire length of the row of braided native hairof the wearer. When the end of the braided row is reached, the weft canbe cut off and the process repeated on the next row of braided nativehair until the hair extension device has been attached to all of thebraided rows of the wearer.

The pre-threaded weft of the present invention eliminates a great dealof the time and effort previously required to add supplemental hair to awearers head. Since a pre-threaded weft with attached guides isprovided, the user no longer has to thread a needle, and then attempt toforce the needle through the weft repeatedly along the weft, whileattempting to keep the spacing even, and the thread going through theexact middle of the weft for optimum security of the attachment to theweft.

Since the hard parts of attaching the weft to the native hair have beenresolved by the present invention, even a novice can purchase the hairextensions and follow the steps for attaching a whole new length orstyle of hair. The method of application comprises the following steps:

-   -   1. Form a part line in the wearer's hair.    -   2. Braid/cornrow or twist parted segment of the hair.    -   3. Place hair weft along the base of the cornrow or twist.    -   4. Insert the guide through the cornrow to begin the attachment        of the weft to the native hair.    -   5. Tie the thread with the guide attached in a knot with the        second part of the thread pair.    -   6. Cut both pieces of thread as close to the top of the knot as        possible without unraveling or severing the knot    -   7. Repeat steps 4 through 6 along the length of the wearers        braided cornrow to attach the entire weft to their native hair.    -   8. Repeat steps 1 through 7 until all of the parts of the        wearer's native hair have been done.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This invention, together with other objects, features, aspects andadvantages thereof, will be more closely understood from thedescriptions, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 provides a front perspective view of the wefted hair extension.

FIG. 2 provides a side view of the wefted hair extension.

FIG. 3 illustrates the various steps of tying the thread into a knot.

FIG. 4 illustrates the completed knot and the removal of excess thread.

FIG. 5 illustrates the completed attachment of a weft to the braidedhair.

FIG. 6 illustrates the completed weft of FIG. 5 as seen on the head of aperson.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the hair extension device 20, which is comprised of a largenumber of individual strands of supplemental hair bound together by acontinuous wefted edge 15 that is to be added to the native hair of thewearer. Numerous pairs of thread 5 extend from the center of the weft15. Every pair of thread 5 has a round tipped guide 10.

FIG. 3 illustrates the progression of the thread pair 5 being securedinto a knot from right to left. On the far right, the guide 10 has beeninserted through the braided native hair 30 of the wearer. In the secondthread pair from the right, the guide 10 has been both inserted throughthe native braided hair 30 and looped once with the thread pair 5. Inthe third thread pair 5 from the right, the guide 10 has been insertedthrough the native braided hair 30, looped once with the thread pair 5,and crossed the thread pair 5 again. In the fourth thread pair 5 fromthe right, the guide 10 has been inserted through the native braidedhair 30 and looped twice with the thread pair 5 and is ready to betightened into a knot, firmly securing the weft 15 to the native hair30.

FIG. 4 illustrates the completed attachment of the weft 15 to thebraided native hair 30, along with the actual knot 35 that is formed,and then scissors 40 can be used to cut the thread pair 5 and guide 10above the knot 35.

FIG. 5 illustrates hair extension device 20 attached to the braidednative hair 30 of the wearer by the completed knots 35.

FIG. 6 illustrates the hair extension device 20 in relation to thebraided native hair 30 as it is seen on the wearer's head.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In a preferred embodiment the welted hair extension has beenpre-threaded with a curved guide attached to the front end of the threadpair. The thread pair has been attached to the weft in the middle of theweft for maximum stability and security. The thread pair and theattached guide can be used to attach the device to the wearer's nativebraided hair. In another embodiment the hair extension device can beattached to a hair net that is worn on top of the native hair of thewearer. In an alternative embodiment the hair extension device may beattached to a cap or hat to be used as a wig.

CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS AND SCOPE

Although the description above contains much specificity, it should notbe construed as limiting the scope of the invention, but as merelyproviding illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodimentsof this invention. For example, other types of guide materials can beused; and varied spacing between threads could be added. Additionallythe weft can be manufactured in a wide variety of thicknesses toaccommodate longer or thicker hair. Thus the scope of the inventionshould be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents,rather than by the examples given.

What is claimed is:
 1. A hair extension device comprising: A weftwherein hair extensions are fixedly attached; a guide for insertion andnavigation through hair; and one or more pieces of threadlike materialfixedly attached to the weft, having a front and back end, with saidguide attached to an end for securing the weft to the wearer's hair. 2.The device of claim 1, wherein each piece of threadlike material isfixedly attached at the center of the weft for optimal placement.
 3. Thedevice of claim 2, wherein the guide has a rounded tip for protection ofthe scalp and natural hair during insertion and navigation.
 4. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the guide is comprised of a semi-rigidpolycarbonate.
 5. The device of claim 3, wherein the guide is curved toavoid poking the scalp of the wearer during navigation through the hair.6. The device of claim 2, wherein the pieces of threadlike material arespaced 1.5 centimeters apart.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein the wefthas a predetermined width and a bound edge.
 8. The device of claim 3,wherein the threadlike materials extend from the weft in a directionopposite that of the hair extension.
 9. The device of claim 1, furthercomprising a second guide fixedly attached to the remaining end of thethreadlike material.
 10. The device of claim 3, wherein the threadlikematerials are attached to the weft with an adhering agent.
 11. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the threadlike materials are sewn directlyinto the weft as the method of attachment.
 12. A hair extensionattachment device comprising: one or more pieces of thread having afront and back end to form a thread pair; a guide fixedly attached to anend of said thread pair; and a weft with fixedly attached groups ofindividual hair strands.
 13. The device of claim 12 wherein the guide isfixedly attached to the front end of the thread pair through an adhesivebonding method.
 14. The device of claim 12 wherein the thread pair iscomprised of two separate pieces of thread that are fixedly attached tothe weft.
 15. The device of claim 12, wherein the thread pieces arefixedly attached to the center of the weft.
 16. A method for applyinghair extensions comprising the steps of: (a) Braiding or twisting aperson's hair into rows along the head. (b) Placing the hair extensiondevice along the row of braided hair. (c) Using the guide attached toeach thread pair to push the thread through the wearers braided hair.(d) Holding the hair extension device in continuous contact with thewearers braided hair and securing the weft to the braided hair with thethread pair. (e) Removing the extraneous thread above the thread securedlocation. (f) Repeat steps b thru e for each row of braided hair. 17.The method of claim 16, wherein the attachment of the hair extensiondevice is made to a hair net that can be worn on top of the nativebraided hair of the wearer.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein thethread pair is secured to the braided hair by tying a knot in the threadpair after the guide has been inserted through the braided hair.
 19. Themethod of claim 16, wherein the thread pair is secured to the braidedhair by an adhering means after the guide has been inserted through thebraided hair.